What is the Big Five?
The Big Five, also called the OCEAN model, is the most widely accepted personality framework in academic psychology. It describes five broad personality dimensions:
- O – Openness to experience: Curiosity, creativity and interest in new ideas.
- C – Conscientiousness: Organisation, reliability and self-discipline.
- E – Extraversion: Sociability, energy and positive affect.
- A – Agreeableness: Trust, cooperativeness and empathy.
- N – Neuroticism: Emotional instability and tendency towards anxiety and stress.
Big Five and job performance
Research shows that conscientiousness (C) is the single factor that best predicts job performance across all occupations. High conscientiousness is associated with thoroughness, reliability and the ability to complete tasks.
Other dimensions are more occupation-specific:
- Extraversion matters in sales, management and teaching.
- Openness matters in creative professions and research.
- Agreeableness matters in caring professions and teamwork.
- Low neuroticism matters in high-stress occupations such as emergency medicine and aviation.
Does Rettesteg use the Big Five?
Yes! Rettesteg Pro includes a validated Big Five assessment that gives you a detailed picture of your personality profile and how it fits different work environments. Results are combined with your RIASEC profile for even more precise recommendations.
Upgrade to Rettesteg Pro to take the Big Five assessment and receive your full personality profile.